Stories,photos

38 results total, viewing 1 - 10

Rosh Hashana on Shabbat: Rest is an essential part of creativity

We celebrate the creation of the world. We pause on our entrance to this new year, reflect and look at what we have created in the past year. more

d'Var Torah | 9/4/26

Re'eh: The Blessing of Listening

At the heart of the book of Deuteronomy there is an assumption about the relationship between God and humanity that, frankly, we might find difficult. The book tells us repeatedly that God rewards the good and punishes the bad. In last... more

d'Var Torah | 8/7/26

Righteousness and self-righteousness

This week's Torah portion is Pinchas, named for the biblical character who Jewish tradition sees as the model of righteous zealotry. Don't be surprised if you did not learn about Pinchas when you were a child in religious school. His story is... more

d'Var Torah | 7/1/26

What we can learn from Miriam

In this week’s Torah reading, Beha’alotcha, we find that Miriam speaks badly about her brother Moses and is therefore stricken with leprosy. As a result, she is quarantined outside the Israelite camp for seven days, after which she is healed and... more

d'Var Torah | 6/9/26

Lag B'Omer, the Thirty-Third Day of the Counting of the Omer

This week's Torah portion, Emor, contains this law about counting days: "You shall count for yourselves from the day after the holiday [Passover], from the day you bring the omer of grain offering, and they shall be seven complete weeks. You shall... more

d'Var Torah | 5/5/26

At Passover, we are reminded that freedom begins at home

Every year, at Passover, Jewish homes across the world become laboratories of renewal. We sweep, scrub and search for chametz, not only to fulfill halakhic obligation but to remind ourselves that … more

d'Var Torah | 4/12/26

Beware of golden - and molten - calves

One of the first times that my brother and I were left home alone, we decided we were in the mood for pancakes. When we couldn’t figure out how to turn on the stove, we retreated to the garage with a wastebasket, an old Sunday Boston Globe, a book... more

d'Var Torah | 3/4/26

You can’t do it alone: a lesson about Moses

Moses has done something wrong. You may think this is surprising for a Rabbi to say about our tradition’s most important forebear, but this critique comes from Moses’ father-in-law, Yitro, in our Torah portion this week. Over the last few weeks,... more

d'Var Torah | 2/4/26

Parshat Shemot 2026: Rediscovering awe

A story is told of the great Rabbi Sampson Raphael Hirsch (Germany, 1808-1888). It is said that late in his life, the old rabbi surprised his students by scheduling himself a long trip to Switzerland. When they inquired about why he insisted on... more

d'Var Torah | 1/21/26

The lessons of Hanukkah this year

As the days grow shorter, the light becomes dimmer and the temperature falls precipitously, all of us look forward to Hanukkah's arrival. Our kitchens will be fragrant with the smell of latkes, while our living rooms and dining rooms will soon be... more

d'Var Torah | 12/8/25